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Showing results for dry spell. Search instead for By-spell.
Synonyms

dry spell

American  

noun

  1. a prolonged period of dry weather.

  2. a period of little or no productivity or activity, low income, etc.

Etymology

Origin of dry spell

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

After intense winter rains, March brought heat and a dry spell.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

Cooler conditions are likely to settle in early this week, with another warm and dry spell expected Wednesday.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2026

Arsenal’s quest to end a two-decade dry spell hasn’t exactly been helped by one of the most neurotic fan bases in Europe.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

More English regions are expected to join the North West and Yorkshire in an official drought on Tuesday after yet another hot and dry spell of weather.

From BBC • Jul. 14, 2025

I was not the problem when it came to my lifelong relationship dry spell.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.